


Salvation

by OJuice (krissthegirl)



Category: Howl no Ugoku Shiro | Howl's Moving Castle
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-05
Updated: 2013-01-05
Packaged: 2017-11-23 17:41:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/624837
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/krissthegirl/pseuds/OJuice
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Howl prowls the streets of Ingary for the woman who will solve his problems.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Salvation

**Author's Note:**

> It's been too long--forgive me; I'm pretty rusty at this!
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own Howl's Moving Castle.

Howl’s reputation for eating young, attractive women’s hearts gained some grand embellishments along the way, he mused. If anything, he only _borrowed_ them until he grew tired and moved on to the next conquest. He certainly did not _eat_ them. That was disgusting; his nose crinkled at the thought. And messy.

But, he supposed, this was his penance for giving Calcifer his heart in a moment of childish curiosity: Howl felt empty all the time and longed for the thrill and rush of a new prospect. Some nights it bothered him and he would wake in a cold sweat, a strange vision on the edges of his consciousness.

 _“It’s me, Sophie. I know how to help you,”_ the voice said to him sometimes in the darkness. _“Find me in the future.”_

At first, he thought it was preposterous. Why would he ever want his heart back? He found himself able to cast spells and draw out spirits that other wizards with hearts (and without pacts with fire demons) never could. Howl enjoyed conscienceless power; loved how, when the Witch of the Waste eventually turned out to be a literal heart-stealing witch, the woman was sorely disappointed to find Howl did not have one.

He laughed at her misfortune then and Calcifer and Markl suffered through the brunt of his gloating. Then the magic began to take its toll and he found himself waking up with a scream at the edges of his throat, too afraid to open his eyes and see that ugly, black, shapeless _thing_ stare back at him.

The Witch of the Waste was getting more aggressive in her hunt for him and Howl had to resort to desperate measures more often. He hated turning into that _thing_ , so blemished and yet so powerful and grew even more frightened upon realizing it took more and more of his concentration to turn back. If he had his heart back, Calcifer told him, he could avoid that curse all together.

Howl decided he would only find women named Sophie and force her to solve his problems. He came across two or three, none of whom seemed to be the right one. He tried Sofias and a few who looked like they would be a Sophie but turned out to be a complete Jessica or Anabelle instead. He would close his eyes and strain to remember that very strange night with the woman who the earth seemed to swallow whole.

A chill ran down his spine as he patrolled the streets for his next victim. The Witch, he thought to himself before making a quick turn into the windy alleyways of Ingary. His steps were brisk as he made one confusing turn after another. He really didn’t want to have to use his magic. A young woman up ahead seemed to be having some trouble with some soldiers and he smiled, finding himself drawn to rescue her.

 _What a prince,_ Howl thought to himself.

“Leave me alone,” her voice shook a little as he approached them silently.

A slight smile landed on his face, thinking he can kill two birds with one stone: escape, and still find a young woman to occupy his time with. Without thinking, he placed an arm around the damsel, who tensed under his touch. There was something oddly familiar about her.

“There you are, sweetheart. Sorry, I’m late,” he said smoothly, glancing at her and catching her startled gaze.

There was something about her, this young woman who stared at him with those large brown eyes. Something deep inside him jarred awake and Howl became thrilled and terrified all at once. Had he met her before? Yes, he thought to himself, remembering that strange night so long ago. Her hair was different then, or was he remembering it wrong? A sense of relief passed through him and Howl’s grip on her shoulder tightened ever so slightly.

“I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”


End file.
